Ice Clams capture top title at Return of Robin

4/8/2008 9:26:12 AM

Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

The Kasson-based Ice Clams scored nearly twice as many goals as the closest competitor and captured the top championship at the 27th annual Return of the Robin adult amateur hockey tournament during the weekend.

The Ice Clams outscored their opponents 28-15 in four games to win the Men's Open 1 Division championship.

They capped their run with a 7-3 victory at the Rochester Recreation Center on Sunday afternoon.

Two local high school coaches were part of the championship team -- Rochester Lourdes head coach and former Notre Dame standout Aaron Gill, and Dodge County head coach Matt Erredge both skated for the Ice Clams. Gill's brother, Adam, who recently completed his senior season as a captain for the St. Mary's University team in Winona, was also on the team.

The Ice Clams roster also featured Trevor Bruess, who completed his sophomore season at NCAA Division I Minnesota State University, Mankato, last month. Bruess was the leading scorer for the Mavericks this season with nine goals and 22 assists for 31 points.

Five other Rochester teams won division championships Sunday. They are:

• MEN'S 30-PLUS: Willy G's defeated Ryan Siding and Windows of Rochester in a shootout. Willy G's roster included Tom Graham, Jeff Aikens, Bryan Schoen, Charlie Paulson, PJ Lepler, Nick Tiegen, Sven Blummer, Steve Howerchuck, Steve Nelson, Pat Ferschweiler, Josh Spaniol, Steve Newman, Jeff Phillips, Jeremy Gunderson and Dane Peterson.

• MEN'S 40-PLUS: Sugar Bay Group went 3-0 to win the division. Team members were Tom Younghans, Tim Fink, Mike Powers, Tim Phippen, Terry Goulet, Craig Shermoen, Dan Charbonneau, Randy Saeger, Cal Cornelius, Mike Lence, Mark Hess, Dave Brown, Keith Burton, Gord Siddorn, Jeff Strandell and Dave Haggenson.

• MEN'S OPEN 2: Kathy's Pub won the championship with a 5-3 victory over Rochester's Landon Trophy. No roster was available for Kathy's.

• WOMEN'S: Fans Of Bacon, a team filled with former Rochester Mayo players, won the women's division championship.

• MEN'S C-LEVEL: The Buzz came out on top of the 10-team field. Team members were Scott Sahs, Joe McDevitt, Mark Stevens, Chris Ernest, Scott Stellmaker, Corey Devorak, Carl Voss, Jim Sessler, Rolly Tucker, Zep Stropp, Guy Hamernik, Zach Selnes, Mike Decker, Brandon Paxton and Ryan Olson.

Two teams from the Twin Cities metro area also won championships:

• MEN'S MIXED: The Forest Lakers, of Forest Lake, Minn., won the Men's Mixed division, which is primarily for players older than 30, but each team is allowed five players who are 25 or older.

• FOSSILS (50-OLDER): The Breischke Bombers of St. Paul went 3-0 to win the fossil division title.

The tournament began Friday with games played in eight divisions all weekend at the Rec Center and Graham Arena in Rochester, and Four Seasons Arena in Kasson.